A review of pieces, places, and people following antiques from origin to market to home.

Monday, October 5, 2009

Round Top and Found for the Home

Last week, I made the two hour trek from Houston to Round Top for their semi-annual antique show. I only did Marburger and Big Red Barn, and all the French, Swedish, and Belgian trends to make my home look like the cover of Veranda magazine were there. The other smaller venues looked to have the typical country primitives from Texas and Mexico for balance.

While architectural antiques were light in attendance this year, one of the more memorable pieces was this fragment in the Found for the Home booth. The rest of the show only had a small variety of European-style doors and shutters, and for the prices, I'll assume they were based on weight... in ounces. (The best places for European-style doors and shutters in this region, in terms of price, quality, and selection, are The Bank and Ricca's in New Orleans, or even The Galveston Historical Foundation, where shutters start at $45 a piece.)

On the drive home, my thoughts kept going back to this copper piece and the next day I contacted Ruth Davis and Aaron Rambo, at Found for the Home, to get me more pictures and information. To my surprise, Aaron was told by another dealer that the piece is from the Woolworth Building in New York City, which completed a restoration a few years back.

This is exciting because the Woolworth Building is one of the oldest—and one of the most famous—skyscrapers in New York City. More than 95 years after its construction, it is still one of the fifty tallest buildings in the United States as well as one of the twenty tallest buildings in New York City. The building is a National Historic Landmark, having been listed in 1966. Upon completion in 1913, the structure ushered in the Cathedral of Commerce era for skyscrapers, where buildings became the corporate identity for businesses.

Found for the Home has a store in Houston, where all of their finds are beautifully displayed like museum acquisitions. They are also on 1stDibs, where the following pieces come from.

I didn't purchase any architectural antiques this trip, but I did find this European axis deer mount at a roadside tent on the way home, which added the finishing touches to my Burmese water buffalo bell collection!

What nice, i love pieces of buildings also, it feels like architectural archeology, i do that also, for example my bedhead are 4 doors from a farm that has been demolished in front of my eyes :-sand i have also some pieces of ornated plaster moldings of a house that was demolished not long i go, i jumped in the house to take them away before it was to late.

Wonderful post ! I guess every blogger and antiques dealers where in Marburger , I definitely have to be there next year , My trip will be a little bit longer than yours but..I have to.Interesting post and interesting finds

Strength and beauty are some of the key characteristics of furniture. This dining table explains the resurgence of people seeking them for their own homes. This is extremely useful and informative post. Antique Shops

The Architectural Antique Review

About me

With over 10 years experience in the design and construction industry, Spencer Howard has completed $150 million in new construction and renovation projects ranging from residential to institutional facilities.